Rep. Jared Moskowitz, D-Fla., who was the first Democrat to join the DOGE Caucus, blasted Elon Musk and the new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) for using a "sledgehammer instead of a scalpel" to reduce government spending.

"The Bipartisan House DOGE Caucus will lead the partnership between Congress" and Trump’s DOGE, according to the official caucus website. 

"The nation expects sweeping common-sense reform, and the DOGE Caucus will pave the way for the House of Representatives to streamline government operations and to save taxpayer money," according to the website.

The DOGE operation, led by Musk, has advocated for the total closure of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). The Trump administration decided to eliminate 90% of USAID’s foreign aid contracts and most of the employees have been laid off.

DOGE is now moving to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) and the Trump administration is reportedly planning to terminate almost all 1,700 employees. DOGE is also looking for areas to cut at the Department of Education, in keeping with President Trump's pledge to phase out the department.

"I joined the DOGE Caucus because I do think government could spend less money, and I think government could become more efficient. But if you look at the debt so far, DOGE has not come up with a solution for that. It's still going up, and that was really one of the pieces of why DOGE was formed," Moskowitz said during an interview on Capitol Hill.

"I still think the American people believe in what the original mission was, but, I think the execution of how they've gone about it is why, if you're looking at just the poll numbers, which is a data point, right? If you're looking at that, the American people aren't supportive of how the mission is being executed," he added.

China

Moskowitz argued that eliminating USAID would cede influence to China.

"I think one of our largest threats on the world stage is the rise of China and the influence of China. And while, again, I have no doubt that there are programs in USAID that could be phased out, which is why doing CRs [Continuing Resolutions] all the time is problematic, you got rid of the agency that literally is fighting every single day against China's influence," he said.

"Every time we retract from someplace, China steps in, and so, China has taken over Latin America. China has taken over the African continent. They have more of the silicone mines than we have now, and so that's why foreign aid is important. That doesn't mean there can't be reforms, but this idea that we took a sledgehammer instead of a scalpel is the mistake," he added.

Republican lawmakers like Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla, support phasing out USAID.

"We're finding all of the rot in our federal government. Why is USAID funding DEI for Serbia? Last time I checked, I didn't even know black people were in Serbia," Donalds said during an interview. "This is the kind of foolishness that we're doing."

Donalds said he's not concerned about DOGE-driven layoffs of federal employees backfiring on the GOP.

"If you have a bunch of federal employees who are not serving the interest of the American people, then why have them as federal employees?" he said. "We are borrowing money at a faster rate than we ever have in the history of our country since World War II."

"More spending only yields more inflation"

The national debt is currently more than $36 trillion.

"It's not sustainable," Donalds said. "More spending only yields more inflation."

According to the DOGE official website, the DOGE operation has led to about $65 billion in savings for the U.S. government. 

Donalds said the House GOP should incorporate DOGE's findings into the budget reconciliation bill that Republican congressional leaders are crafting.

"Instead of creating an agency like the CFPB which goes out and basically terrorizes banks and financial institutions. We have created an agency that's going through the federal government and holding the federal government accountable and that's a good thing," he said.